Xinhua News Agency
(c) Copyright 2002 Xinhua News Agency
Sunday, August 25, 2002
Canadian MP suggests review of antimalaria drug.

OTTAWA, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) - An opposition member of parliament has urged the Canadian government to renew its study of an antimalaria drug given to soldiers serving overseas, it is reported here Sunday.

"It's high time there was a serious investigation done," Canadian Alliance MP John Cummins who is examining the issue told local reporters here Friday.

Cummins has petitioned the government several times to study the drug mefloquine, sold under the trade name Lariam, and has testified before the Somalia Commission of Inquiry about the drug' s possible effects on Canadian peacekeepers.

A U.S. probe into the effects of the antimalaria drug should prompt the Canadian government to renew its study of the drug, he said.

A team of US investigators has been dispatched to the U.S. Army base at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, which since June has experienced a string of spousal killings. The investigation will look into all aspects of the soldiers' lives and medical histories, and whether they took Lariam, which, in rare cases, can prompt side effects, including rage and suicidal tendencies.

Canada's Department of National Defence has made no comment on the issue. All Canadian soldiers who served in Afghanistan were routinely given mefloquine.